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In this issue...

Foreword
Innovation – the centre of corporate strategiese
Lord Sainsbury, UK Minister for Science and Innovation
British Innovations
Automotive
On the road again
Christopher Macgowan, Chief Executive, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
Fossil Fuels – An Energy source for the Future
Greg Lewin, President, Shell Global Solutions
Chain of success
Kenny McKay, Director, and Will Wright, Manager, Restructuring practice at KPMG
Patents
Innovation and the Patent Office
Lawrence Smith-Higgins, Head of Awareness Information & Media The UK Patent Office
Biotechnology
Benefits of association
Dr Michael Moore, CEO, PIramed Ltd
Innovation and strength in the UK biotech sector
Aisling Burnand, Chief Executive, BioIndustry Association
Simfonec: Helping make good research BIG business
Heron Evidence Development: Successful deal of missed opportunity
Springwell Ltd: Match-maker for Innovative Technologies
Korn/Ferry International: Pharmaceutical companies desire to break the mould
A quality core interface
Dominique Kleyn head of BioPharma Business Development, Imperial College London
Evolutec Group: Creating a range of commercial options
Moving forward
Dr Ceri Williams, Senior Manager, Science and Innovation at Yorkshire Forward and Dr Danielle Hankin, Bioscience Cluster Manager
Oxitech: Revolutionising SIT Programmes
Oxford Expression Technologies: Meeting the needs of the post-genomic era
Business Services
Innovating business related services
Norma Rose, Director-General, Business Services Association
BT: Innovation Strategy and Innovation Continuum
Creative
UK Film Council: How the UK wins in the international film industry?
Defence
On the defence
Major General Alan Sharman CBE, Director General, Defence Manufacturers Association
ProEtch: Precision parts of quality
Wallop Defence Systems: Aircraft Countermeasures and the Dual Spectral Threat
Education
Education, Education, Education
Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Education and Skills
Applied Sciences at Wolverhampton - Innovation in Higher Education Professor Trevor Hocking, Associate Dean, International Development
Energy
Wind energy
Marus Rand, Chief Executive, British Wind Energy Association
Vital energy
Ian Leitch, Commercial Director, Energy Industries Council
Waterman Group: Solutions to solve climate control legislation
Environment
Winning the war against germs
Dr Ron Mitchell, Managing Director, GB Environmental
Financial
Show me the money! Funding for innovation – who can help?
IT
UK: Innovation Nation?
Launching the “Innovation Nation?” initiative
Innovation in the 21st Century
Gemma Harman, Director of Strategy & Media, BT Chief Technology Office
Manufacturing
UK Manufacturing - a driving force for innovation
Andrew Manly, Director General, Manufacturing Technologies Association
Waterman Group: Single project model 3D
Renishaw: Achieving global manufacturing competitiveness in the UK
Medical
Yorkshire Forward
Nanotechnology
The European Nanotechnology Trade Alliance
Del Stark, Chief Executive, European Nanotechnology Trade Alliance
University research drives a new wave of innovation
Omar Cheema, Nanotechnology Business Development, Imperial College London
Oxford Instruments: Enabling nanoscience and nanotechnology
Semefab (Scotland): A real driver of change
Metal Nanopowders: New products that meet your needs
Regional Development
London Development Agency: One jump ahead
91Advantage West Midlands: At the heart of it all 95
   

Nanotechnology

University research drives a new wave of innovation

Omar Cheema, Nanotechnology Business Development, Imperial College London, who is responsible for developing investor and industry partnerships for Imperial College in the areas of nanotechnology and biomedical engineering

As a world-class university, Imperial College London educates the brightest and best, employs leading-edge scientists and is in touch with the world of business.

Innovative research at Imperial explores the interface between science, technology, medicine and business and delivers practical solutions that enhance the quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture. Imperial?s Business Development team forms the core interface between Imperial and the needs of industry, driving the creation of strategic research collaborations.It has become widely accepted that nanotechnology is not just the latest market bubble or technology hype but a real driver of change across multiple industries and indeed in our lifestyle.

After the rise and fall of the IT economy, and the stalled biotech take-off, markets were initially cautious towards this new wave of technological innovation, but not any longer. Estimates of nanotechnology being a trillion dollar market are being revised to two or three times the size. Sceptical debates about the definition of nanotechnology have given way to action-oriented discussions about how nanotechnology should be applied to each technologydependent industry: electronics, energy and environment, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, automotive, aerospace, food and packaging, chemicals, and more. The ?plenty of room at the bottom?, famously identified by Richard Feynman, has now caught the attention of everyone.

Nanotechnology is creating a new economy dynamic just as IT did in the early 1990s. However there is one marked difference between IT and nanotechnology: the strong dependence of the latter on university-based research. The nature of nanotechnology is that of a platform technology, a tool for innovation, not an end product in itself. The key factors are platform technology research and how to innovate this research into game-changing applications. UK universities have a long history of success in these aspects of innovation.

Public sector funding of nanotechnology has made up for a venture capital community slowly recuperating from the fallout of biotech and IT downturns. The Microsystems and Nanotechnology (MNT) initiative of the DTI has provided a much needed stimulus. Imperial College London, in collaboration with University College London and the National Physical Laboratory, is utilising this funding to establish a product innovation centre for UK manufacturing industry in bio-nanotechnology.

Imperial has made bionanotechnology and the related area of personalised healthcare the main strategic foci for its new Institute of Biomedical Engineering in South Kensington, London. International investors such as Advance Nanotech Inc. have committed over £3.4 million of funding to bio-nano projects at the Institute and its spin-out partners, including:

Creative research has to be supplemented by special business models to realise and accelerate the transformation of university research into industry innovation. Business development services at Imperial have tailored a menu of business models for engaging industry and private sector investors into the nanotechnology adventure.


Business Development
Imperial College London
South Kensington Campus
London SW7 2AZ - UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7581 4949
Email:
Website: www.imperial.ac.uk/businessdevelopment